Disarmament
by comet01
Summary: 2xH. AC202The world is at peace, and the other four gundam pilots have finally moved on with their lives...but Duo finds himself still in recovery and yearning to be with Hilde again.
1. The Staircase

Disarmament

comet01

Disclaimer: God bless Bandai and Sunrise for Gundam Wing. I am not prostituting their creation for monetary gain. Yeah.

Pairings: 2xH is the main pairing. Will probably be a minor pairing of 1xR, or something like that (but maybe not…I don't know where I'm going to go with this story yet).

Warning: This is my 2nd fic, and I've only been working on my 1st for less than a month, so it's very possible that it will suck.

So I'm writing this guy concurrently with my first fic, just because I got sudden inspiration to write about Duo. If you don't like a sophisticated Duo, this story probably isn't for you. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 1-The Staircase

"The 15th anniversary of the Maxwell Church Tragedy to be acknowledged today in the L2 sector." Duo Maxwell had read the headline four times now, but still couldn't get himself to move to the next sentence. The paper had become nothing more than a pad of swirling black ink on a gray canvas. Memories seething out of his mind, he absentmindedly picked up his strawberry danish and slowly started chewing on it.

He angrily crumpled up the paper and deftly tossed it into a trash can across the room. When the ball made it in, a little smile came across Duo's face. He slowly leaned back in his chair, observing the robust chatter in the diner. He let the quiet voices fill his ears like a Gregorian chant, bringing an image of apocalyptic marching to the forefront of his mind. Referring to himself as the "god of death," he rather liked this image. He calmly got out of his seat, throwing a few bills on the table and stealthily took his leave.

As Duo walked by, all of the shopkeepers were closing up and securing all of their possessions. If he hadn't known any better, he would've thought that it was an international holiday. He knew that wasn't the case, though. The Maxwell Tragedy had twisted the people's hearts into a disfigured, hopeless, forlorn monster. Duo knew that there would be a riot today. He looked down at his feet, submerged in a healthy puddle on the sidewalk. He could see a blurred version of his reflection. _I won't have anything to do with this. I don't need anything else to be ashamed of._

The streets were flooded. Cars were backed up as far as Duo could still see their headlights. As he looked up again, the rain swept across Duo's face in a fiery stampede. The water dripped from Duo's black hat as more soaked through his black, priestly uniform. The only thing he could see in front of him was a red, flashing light, along with the barrage of earthly tears.

Duo continued to walk. He had become desensitized to his own shivering. _I'm going to pay my respects. Nothing else will happen. _He had been paying his respects to the church every year since the World Nation was formed in After Colony 196, and, every year, he found himself more and more reliant on the forgiving atmosphere of a graveyard. He was, after all, the god of death.

Then, he arrived there. He looked up at the church. What used to be a small, house-sized building for idle worship had become a gargantuan of a memorial that stood over 200 feet tall. Next to it laid the cemetery, where every member of the church, as well as every resident of the colony who had died in the war, was buried.

Feeling a pang in his stomach, Duo ascended the marble staircase to enter the building. He was careful with his footing as he looked down at every step, carved to perfection. Duo marveled at their beauty; this staircase was truly a work of art. He bent down to touch one of the stairs. He felt the transfer of his emotions from his heart into the cold stoicism of the marble. The tears began to pour from his eyes. _Someone else remembers the church, too, or these would've never been built…_He picked his head up, but stayed seated. The gloomy sky and the loud clashing of thunder allowed Duo to systematically clear his mind of all conscious thought. After that, he would have the strength to stand up.

"_Hey Duo, whatcha thinkin' about?"_

"_Oh nothin', Hilde baby. Why do you ask me that so much?"_

"_You look so sad. I'm worried about you."_

"_There's nothing to worry about. Just relax. I can't smile all the time, you know." "Duo…"_

"_Love ya, babe."_

Duo clutched the railing on the staircase and forced himself back up. With the secrets of his baggage-laden subconscious mind revealed, he continued to climb the stairs, still softly admiring the sharpness of the marble. He attempted to smile, but he could only get halfway. His admiration for whoever commissioned this beautiful staircase knew no bounds. Yet, the unbearable sadness would inevitably find its way into his heart every time he walked by here. Today was worse, though. Today he would have to go in.

As he reached the top of the staircase, Duo turned around and looked back at the bottom. Even with the rain turning its surroundings into a muddy quagmire, Duo knew that those stairs would never lose their pearly-white shine, even if it was the first time he had ever seen them. Finally, he was able to smile. He knew that it was a part of the church that would be around forever. He then looked at the plaque that was previously covered by his feet. THIS STAIRCASE WAS FUNDED BY QUATRE RABERBA WINNER, IN HONOR OF HIS LATE FATHER. AC 202.

The name danced across Duo's eyes. …_Quatre? _Suddenly, he felt warm. _He hasn't forgotten about me. _He approached the giant wooden doors. With a metal clasp in hand, he slowly opened the door, putting all of his strength into the door.

When he finally managed to pry it open, what he saw on the other side filled him with joy. "Wow, you guys are all here? You must really love me a lot!" There he saw, in order: Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, WuFei Chang, and Quatre Winner. _They all came back…for me._

"Duo, we knew you'd be here." The light, caressing voice was that of Quatre. "We wanted to be here for you, especially since a certain rumor's been going around…."

"Yeah, the riot…man, a lot of people are going to get drunk today." Duo lowered his head as the thought shot into his mind. It disgusted him. "So I guess I should show you guys around, huh?"

"No, Duo, that's fine. We've actually been looking around ourselves for the past hour or so. This memorial really is beautiful. A lot of people must have loved this place." The five men grew silent for a while, staring at each other morosely. Quatre finally spoke again. "We were hoping that you'd come to lunch with us. We could all catch up."

Duo smiled. "That sounds good, but I'm not quite done here. Maybe I'll catch up with you guys?"

"That sounds wonderful." Quatre handed Duo a dozen of white roses. "If you're visiting Sister Helen or Father Maxwell's grave site, I'm sure you'll want to give them something…even if it is pouring out. Have my raincoat, too."

"Quatre, I can't…"

"It's okay. Really. I can just get under WuFei's umbrella."

"Okay. I guess I'll meet you guys across the street, then. Don't wait up for me too much, though, you hear?"

Quatre nodded, and the other four men walked out the door, leaving Duo to his thoughts. _Wow, didn't see that coming…I'll just have to give these flowers to the good father._ He opened the door, getting one last shot of the memorial before he left. After all, he went to the memorial site several times a year. Visiting the father's grave, however, was something that Duo wasn't emotionally fit to handle more than once a year.

He stepped outside. The rain had calmed significantly, almost into a mist. Duo found the shower comforting. As he mucked across the path to get into the cemetery, he grew more and more weary. He looked at the sea of graves, reading every name on every headstone. The names were burned into his mind, but he always checked to see if there was someone new, or if there was a new memorial donated. He scrupulously scanned the premises, but found nothing different than the last time he was there. Part of him was relieved that they hadn't found any more dead soldiers in space, but his heart wrenched at the thought that, possibly, people outside of the L2 sector had simply forgotten.

After scanning every grave of every fallen soldier, he went to the corner of the cemetery. His heart started thumping as he made his way to the memorial. His thoughts quickly turned to Sister Helen teaching him to braid his hair. It was a lovely memory. But then he remembered just a little while later…she had been laying on the ground, blood staining her face, telling Duo about Father Maxwell's death. Her voice in his head was melodic, telling of the man's courage to stand up for pacifism. He remembered the explosion, the shrill cries, the Alliance soldiers heartlessly running through the colony with guns loaded. Then, the most bitter memory of all came. He remembered Sister Helen, slowly unwinding in his arms, letting go of her ephemeral life as if it had been nothing more than a blip in the universe. There was nothing platonic about her death, though, and it was certainly true that nothing good came out of it. That was how Duo turned into the self-loathing, friend-seeking, clingy, emotional, passionate warrior that he was.

He knelt down at the two simplistic graves. They were nothing more than flat, gray stones that sat on the ground. They were somewhat elliptical, but time had worn them down ever so slightly, making the edges cracked and boxy. They bore nothing more than the names of his two caretakers, and when they died. Nothing more would ever be remembered of them, except for him.

_"Hilde, I need to talk to you."_

_"Duo, are you okay?"_

_"This is really important."_

_"…Sure. I'm listening."_

_"Hilde, I've been treating you like shit for over a year."_

_"Duo…"_

_"It's true. Hilde, you're the one good thing left in my life, and I can't even give you the treatment you deserve…"_

_"Duo, please…"_

_"No…you deserve better than this. I have a lot of baggage, you know. I had friends, too, with the same problems that I have right now. But they've all moved on, Hilde, and I'm still pushing all of my baggage on you. It's not fair to you."_

_"Listen to me…"_

_"I can hear you crying every night I come home, worrying where I am. I can tell in the morning when I had a nightmare, because you're still stroking my hair and singing to me in the morning. And then, whenever I have off, all I do is walk around by myself, leaving you alone again. Hilde, I can't do this to you anymore. My misery isn't something that should pull you down. I'll be back for you, Hilde, but not until I can make you happy. When the baggage is gone…I'll be coming back…"_

_"But I want to be there for you. Nothing makes me happier than the thought of you being happy again. I know I can help you…"_

_"I wish you could, but the good father only lives in one mind, babe. This is something I have to do on my own, even if I wish it wasn't."_

_"Duo…I love you."_

_"…I love you, too. I love you more than anything. I'd never think of another girl if I could always be with you. That's why I'll wait for you…as long as it takes._

_"Oh, Duo…"_

_"Go ahead and cry. I know I will everyday…"_

_"I…I should go now…"_

_"I'm sorry."_

Duo remembered the warmth of the embrace before she walked out the door; they both had tears in their eyes. They were immobilized in the moment, and then he kissed her. The tears streamed as she quickly turned her head away and left. She was the last positive aspect of his life, and he'd be damned if he could never have her back.

He set the roses between the grave markers, kneeling down and taking his hat off of his head. _Father, I may not believe in God…but I believe in you. Just give me some of your strength so I can forget everything …I want to be the jolly one again. Please, help me forget about the war…and you. Please, father…_

Duo stood again, his hair flapping in the wind, and his face stained with tears. He looked down at the graves again, and raised his voice to a docile whisper. "I've never had more nightmares in my life, but you said the worst of pain comes right before the full recovery…. So, does that mean I'm almost there?"

Duo left in contempt after the rhetorical question. He felt no better than he did before he came. Then again, this was the sort of thing that took time. Duo's patience was wearing thin, though. _Maybe lunch with the guys will help. It'll take my mind off of death…for a little while, at least. I need a sweet joke, though._

And, somehow, thinking of a joke seemed to make everything better. It was like he was thinking clearly for the first time.

* * *

Sorry that my chapters are always so short. I'm working on it, though, really (I think that this one is the longest one yet, believe it or not). Later on I might go through and combine some of the chapters for organization. On a completely different subject, I could really use an editor if someone was willing to do it…if not, whatever. But the whole story will be as choppy and error-laden as this first chapter. Anyways, hope you liked it!

comet01


	2. Walking Ahead While Looking Back

Disarmament

comet01

Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story! I wasn't sure there was going to be interest in this story, but I've gotten a pretty good response so far. Again, to all of my readers, thank you!!

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Chapter 2- Walking Ahead While Looking Back

The bar was shockingly quiet. As Duo entered, he saw the bartender cleaning off goblets, along with his friends. The rest of the tables and stools were completely empty, and the only sound that could be heard was the quiet chatter amongst his friends.

Passing by the middle-aged bartender, Duo looked him in the eye. He removed his hat, pressing it to his chest, and gave the man a small nod. _My friends probably begged you not to close up. Thanks, buddy. _He then turned away from the bartender, smiling, and took a seat with his friends.

He found himself sitting across from WuFei, who had been silently eating a bacon cheeseburger, eyeing the conversations on the other end of the table. Duo was satisfied with the arrangement; he didn't want to be forced into talking. Heero was sitting next to him and muttered some indecipherable words as he pushed a basket of onion rings toward Duo, who then decided to occupy himself with eating.

Duo had almost forgotten the euphoric feeling he got from onion rings. They were such a simple delicacy that he only got from a simple atmosphere. The bar had always been such a robust and lively haven for him once the war ended. Pool and darts had always been a reliable way to get money out of a drunk man, and Duo would always make them pay him with the precious tickets to whatever sporting event they were going to, along with a basket of onion rings. He would then proceed to talk to another stranger, coercing him into a couple of beers. The process repeated itself about three or four times, depending on how lucky he felt. He became quite infamous in many of the colony's bars. He was happy.

Now, he could only see the sullen faces of men who had no self worth, men he sympathized with. He learned that the bar was the best place to find a broken man. Yearning to convince himself that he wasn't one of them, he obsessively sought out to help each and every broken soul who wandered the bars. Full of altruistic intentions, he met one man after another….

Duo's mind snapped back into his present surroundings. He slowly pushed the onion rings away. _I'm with my friends now. I have to stop doing this._ He tilted his head up with glazed-over eyes and his patented fake smile. He watched WuFei tussle with a piece of bacon, and he broke into a real smile. The silly savagery was just what he needed.

"I'm not saying that the new bill isn't going to pass, Quatre. I'm saying that it is inadequate for the needs of the project and it really has no business being passed."

The voice was that of Relena Darlian. Duo hadn't remembered seeing her before, but he assumed that she had just met up for lunch. He didn't care. He sat quietly and eavesdropped on the current conversation.

"But Relena, if $60 billion isn't enough to finish the project, we can just wait for a more opportune time to ask for more. The Mars Terraformation Project isn't very urgent right now. People are much more concerned about fixing the damages from the war."

"If we don't make Mars a hospitable area within the next year, there will be no project to continue. The workers will refuse to stay. That's why we need to finish this as soon as possible."

"The people working there are passionate about improving their lives. Don't worry about them backing out. We all want a better life, and right now that means we have to focus all of our funds onto fixing up the colonies and compensating the victims' families."

Duo had never realized just how charismatic Quatre was. _He should be a politician._ He had very little interest in the discussion, though. Listening to it only made him think of the war, and pestilent memories that lingered because of it.

"The people of the colonies believe that they're living in rubble right now. We can't let them continue to think that, Relena." Quatre was trying to be persuasive. Duo knew, however, that he couldn't resist his urge to comfort people. "The project will be fine. $60 billion is a lot of money. We just need to spend it wisely to keep everyone happy."

Suddenly, Heero gave Duo a powerful nudge. He almost fell off of the bench. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Come on."

Duo knew that Heero wasn't going to elaborate without further prodding. He got out of his seat. "Why are we getting up?"

Heero looked surprised that he even asked the question. "Did you really like that conversation at the table?" Duo adamantly shook his head. "That's what I thought. We're getting some drinks."

"Er…I better not, Heero. I'll go with you, though." Duo looked stupidly at his friend, not knowing what else to say. He wanted to say something, though. The indecision hurt him almost as much as the silence.

The two young men found themselves at the counter. Duo was self-conscious about his discomfort over the situation; Heero was very good at picking out emotions in people, and he knew that he was making his discomfort more than obvious enough for Heero to notice. Heero had ordered his drink, picking up a tall glass of what appeared to be straight-up vodka and sat on one of the vacant stools at the counter. Duo did the same.

"So buddy, you gonna have anything else with that vodka? Just watching you drink that is making me sick."

Heero stopped moving completely, even if only for a moment. His dark blue eyes narrowed into a sharp gaze. Duo felt the blood cascading to his face, feeling like Heero was reading his mind. His friend ran his hand through his short, messy hair and turned back to his drink after saying "What happened?"

Duo knew this was not a question, but a demand. Heero wasn't one to ask questions. "Uh, you ordered that drink and now I feel queasy? That seems normal to me." Duo knew that wasn't going to be acceptable.

"Something happened between you and Hilde."

Duo was caught off guard. "Someone's been lying to you, buddy." The patented fake smile returned. "Hilde and I are fine. You shouldn't be so gullible. I thought you were smarter than that."

The man with an IQ of 171 shrugged and gulped down the rest of his drink. "Fine." He got up out of his stool and headed toward the door. "If you do have problems, you can stay at my place."

"What? You're leaving?"

Heero stared coldly. "I need some fresh air. You can come too, if you want."

Duo knew what would happen if he went with Heero, but almost wanted it to happen. He wasn't positive whether he wanted to tell the sensitive, intricate details of the story just yet, but he did know that Heero's cold manipulation and indifference was the only way for it to come out.

_Maybe if I tell him, I'll finally be able to sleep again._

With a pang of instant regret, Duo quietly followed Heero out the door, forgetting about the others.

* * *

_To whom it may concern:_

_I'm writing this letter to inform you that I won't be living on this colony anymore. I'll probably be gone by the time you see this. Please don't be mad that I didn't say goodbye. I love you all and didn't want to leave under such rushed circumstances, but life throws in a few surprises for all of us, and, unfortunately, most of them aren't good. I don't know what I would do with the rest of my life here anyways._

_If I told you where I was going, I think that would spoil the point of leaving in the first place, so I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I wouldn't ever be able to redeem myself in the eyes of any of you ever again. As my loved ones, it would hurt me very much to see you disappointed. Therefore, I will never come back. I know it will be hard or even impossible to forget about me, but please try to continue with your lives as you normally would. _

_Although I feel burdened by being so cruel and demanding of you, I'm doing this because I hope that, one day, it will take some of the extra baggage away, and that I will be able to start a new life. I will never forget any of you who played such an active role in my life and development on this colony. I love you, and will miss you all._

_Hilde_

_PS- One last favor: Please don't look for me. I cannot force you, as I will be living a perfectly conspicuous life and have no plans to change my name. However, as friends and loved ones, I hope you'll grant this. Again, I will always remember you.  
_

Hilde nodded in uncomfortable satisfaction as she put the letter back on the table. She was never used to being as cold and calculated as she demonstrated herself to be in the letter. However, she found that it suit her purposes well. She felt cleansed of guilt as she headed to the airport. Today was the big day. And, starting tomorrow, she would start life as she attempted to bury the one she was currently living.

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Sorry that this took a month to get out. Trust me, it won't take as long to get the next one out, and it will be much better quality (hopefully). 


	3. The Mission Revealed

Disarmament

comet01

A revival from the dead? I think I started this last summer! Now that I have free time I'll update some more. I still like this story enough :)

Chapter 3-The Mission Revealed

Heero had spent the last five years rekindling his mind and spirit with deep thought and solitude. As he walked through the rain, the leaves danced around his eyes. The dance had a strange twist though. The leaves didn't dance harmoniously or romantically. Rather, they were dancing like drunk fools, throwing themselves at him. He walked through passively with the water making everything a blur. Duo was following him though, he knew that much. He wasn't the one to pass time alone if he didn't have to. Quickly, looking straight ahead, Heero reached behind himself with a powerful stroke and grabbed Duo by the collar of his shirt, dragging him under an awning. The sidewalk was slanted at a downward angle, but Heero sat under the awning anyways.

"I'll stand, thanks." Duo waited for Heero to get up before he started talking. He was always uncomfortable being above people.

Duo found Heero's behavior to be well within reach of his usual cynicism and eccentricity. When Heero wouldn't look him in the eyes, he knew something was wrong. Heero continued to sit in a murky puddle of water. "You're weird. You know that, right?" Duo seated himself in the puddle.

"I have some bad news." Heero looked him in the eyes with that heart-piercing, gut-wrenching stare that could only be identified as his own.

Duo was temporarily relieved that Heero had returned to his predictable self. He thought about what Heero had just said, then the events from earlier in the day. His mind quickly wandered to the war, with the only image being the very look he was given. He only acts normal when something's wrong. "What's going on?" The question was barely a question, submissive and purely rhetorical.

"We have to get out of here right now."

"What's going on?"

"I can't tell you that right now. All you need to know is that we have to get out of here right now. Come on."

Heero stood up and dragged Duo to his feet, but Duo was too frozen in confusion to make any other movements. "What? But what about the others? Are we going to tell them?"

"No, they know we're leaving. It won't take long for them to follow."

Duo's face contorted into a wry smile. "So that's it, huh? We're just leaving and you're not going to tell me why, are you?"

"I'll tell you when it's necessary. Right now, it's too dangerous. This entire colony is about to break out in riots. We have to leave before any riots in this area break out. I have no intentions of being seen."

Duo sunk under his feet. "So this is for real. Okay, I guess I'm coming with you. What do I have to lose, anyways?"

The two stared at each other in silence for a split second, without any meaning behind their faces. As shocking as the new revelation was to Duo, his life still wasn't normal enough to consider the venture anything other than usual business. The thought lowered him to his predisposed vision of the God of Death. He hadn't thought of himself in that way for a long time. He was deflated.

Duo wanted to stay inconspicuous throughout the Maxwell Church riots. He never found any good in personal protest. It had never gotten him anywhere before. It didn't save Father Maxwell. Life had never been clearer, and now he was leaving everything. There was no better way to purge himself of his sadness.

Heero moved at a brisk pace. Duo's perception of time had been altered in his own thoughts, and found himself almost running to keep up with Heero. There wasn't another soul on the street. The quiet before the storm. Heero's intuition was too impeccable. They were going to leave town right before the tension exploded.

Heero had eventually led Duo out of town into an artificial wooded area. "We can stop here for now." Heero leaned against a tree.

Duo didn't move his body, but focused his eyes intently on Heero's forehead. He was too nervous to look him in the eyes. "We're stopping here? Why?"

Heero nodded his head. "Because of the shock you'll be in when you get to our real destination."

"Trust me; you might as well just take me there now, because you can't surprise me more than you already have." Duo put on a smile and a confident front as he leaned against a tree; he knew he wouldn't fool Heero, but he only had himself to fool.

Heero looked back at him and grunted. "Fine, but you have to tell me what happened to Hilde."

Duo stood tall again. "What? Why are you asking me that now?"

"You wouldn't answer me before, so now I'm asking you again."

"Why does it matter now? Is it really going to kill you if you don't know? Let's just get out of here. I don't care how many more secrets you have for me."

"If I can't locate Hilde, we'll have almost no chance at survival. If I know what happened, it may limit the search." The cold words echoed through Duo's mind and pierced through his heart. He was in disbelief.

"So you'll tell me then."

The words awoke Duo from his shock and he nodded his head. "She's gone, Heero. I…I can't explain what happened. All you need to know is that there's no chance of her being on this colony. She left a goodbye letter if you want to see it. I don't know if it'll give you any useful information."

"You have it with you?" Heero asked with peaked interest.

"Yeah…I haven't been able to let go of it."

The letter landed delicately in Heero's hand as he read over it in scrutiny. His eyes narrowed into an emotionally repressed mask. He handed the letter back. "This was written a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah."

"You should've said something."

"What?"

"Never mind." He paused to recollect his thoughts. "No one else knows about this?"

"Not yet."

Neither said a word after that. Silence had become a natural occurrence when around Heero and, as the god of death, Duo had had enough of interfering with nature. He sat quietly against the tree, waiting for Heero to say something profound. After five minutes, he did say something. Unfortunately, it wasn't what Duo was expecting to hear. "I guess she's gone, then. We'll have to find her later."

Duo smirked. "Or maybe she'll find us, if we really need her."

Much to Duo's surprise, Heero smiled. His heart was the least promiscuous of hearts, but even he could remember the golden moments of the war. He clung desperately onto the memory of Duo's cry: "You're a stupid fool!" It had been the only gesture of romance he heard in his short life. Heero's faith in Hilde was almost as much as he had in any woman, and his body relaxed. His track record was particularly impressive about encountering the right people right when he needed them, as did Duo. The world stopped spinning in his mind, even if only for a second. The constant palaver in his restless mind quieted to a soft whisper and for one of the few times in his life, he made a miscalculated decision. "Come with me. I'll tell you everything."

Duo had heard the words trickling out of Heero's mouth like soft rain, but they didn't land softly. No, the words beat him senseless like a sandbag. He began to even question his own state of consciousness when he saw the proof of Heero's honesty. His body tensed and all of his thoughts conglomerated into the past.

_"So Heero, I guess this is goodbye for good, huh?"_

_"I wouldn't say that."_

_"Whaddya mean by that?"_

_"You have a way of finding me when I don't want to be found…I'm sure you could find me if you wanted to."_

_"But you're leaving?"_

_"I need to answer a few questions I've had for a long time."_

_"Oh, doing some soul searching? Wish I could come with. Well, good luck buddy. Nice meeting you."_

_"Nice meeting you, too."_

_"I never thought I'd hear you say that."_

_"You never thought that I'd destroy my Gundam either."_

_"You're right. You've never stopped with the surprises. Maybe you'll be the one looking for me."_

_"Don't push it."_

_"Well, okay. I'm sure we'll see each other again, though. All of us Gundam pilots."_

_"I'll only look for you if I need to."_

_"Okay, good luck out there."_

_"Same goes for you."_

_"Bye."_

Until that moment, Duo had considered it the second most emotional conversation of his life, second only to his breakup with Hilde. It was also one of the few conversations where he considered Heero to be open with him about his feelings in any way. It was the most honest goodbye he had ever heard. Now he knew that it was a lie.

Duo looked preposterously at his friend. The confusion hazed his ability to piece the situation together, but it didn't affect his judgment. He'd allow Heero to explain himself. "Heero, are we getting away in…?"

"Zero. It's our best chance."

Duo wouldn't have believed it if anyone else had said it, and barely believed that Heero would say it. There was an airship carrier in the middle of the woods, and, although he couldn't see it, he knew that Wing Zero was in there. Heero walked in. Duo was tired of surprises, so he followed.

The carrier had a camouflage paint job, but other than that had not been hidden with any particular care. The lack of meticulousness wasn't in Heero's character. Unless he hid it somewhere else. He must have been hiding it underground. For Duo, he could only think of one question to ask: "Why do you still have Wing Zero? You said you destroyed it!"

"I lied." The words were emotionless. "Right now, we need it. So just be grateful that I did lie."

"But you're not going to tell me why."

"Stop saying that." He jumped into Zero's cockpit. "Get in."

Duo reluctantly followed him in. "Aren't we going to be seen in this thing?"

"No. No one keeps track of private planes anymore. Not even the Preventers."

"What? That's preposterous! What makes you think that? I'd be checking them."

"And you'd be wasting your time."

Duo wanted to yank his hair out. Heero had always had that kind of effect on him, but usually he had some idea of what he was getting into. I could just say no. "You're setting Zero to pilot the ship, I'm guessing?"

"Unless you want to pilot the ship."

"I wouldn't even know where to go. By the way, when were you going to tell me that? It doesn't pay to be so sneaky all the time, you know. I'm not completely worthless. I saved you during the war. Remember that? Besides, you're going to have to tell me eventually. Otherwise I might just jump ship and fight with the enemy, whoever they are."

"Zero's all set up. We'll be out of here in no time."

Heero directed the takeoff into the computer and jumped out of Zero's cockpit. His eyes fixated on a window, out of Duo's sight. "Duo, we've got a problem. A big problem. We've been contracted through the Preventers to take care of some business...on Mars."


	4. Reunion of Enemies and Allies

Disarmament

comet01

A special thanks to Miroku for making me take another look at this story! It is certainly worth continuing, although my writing has gotten worse over the past year (since I haven't been doing it). I'm sure the people that followed this story have long forgotten it, but this is just a short chapter to see if I'll be able to realistically continue (and finish) this story.

Chapter 4: Reunion of Enemies and Allies

Duo stood in disbelief, jaw dropped. Quietly, he sat down next to Heero and put his feet up. He closed his eyes.

Heero winced. "You're not curious anymore? That's not like you. I thought you would put up more of a fight than that."

"Nope, I've learned that, sometimes, giving up is the better route when I'm dealing with you. Nighty-night Heero, I'm gonna try and get some sleep before this big mystery mission I have."

Content to have Duo silent for the duration of the flight, Heero let him sleep. Heero himself would carefully monitor the entire trip, but that would not stop him from turning his thoughts to the loss of Hilde. _'I can't have you being dead weight. We're just going to have to find her. Her wishes make no difference to me._'

_'I hope you all understand how vital your roles are in this mission. If we don't succeed in eliminating this threat, we cannot predict the consequences.'_

_ 'Understood, Lady Une. I've already done some preliminary scouting. Now we have to find Duo and inform him of the situation.'_

_ 'Very good. I'll be expecting you to complete this before things get out of hand there. I don't need you getting noticed.'_

_ 'Right. And if we don't find him?'_

_ 'Proceed as planned. You'll just be on your own then, Heero.'_

_ 'Very well.' This ended communication with Lady Une. _

_ 'Everyone got that?'_

_ 'Yes, but I think we should come up with a plan before we leave. Since you still have Zero, why not ask it what our best course of action is?'_

_ 'Agreed. Quatre, you take Trowa and WuFei. Go find Duo. I'm going to stay up here until I hear from you. Then I'll come and intercept Duo. Then the mission will commence.'_

Heero turned his attention again to Duo, still motionless and sound asleep. _'When I asked Zero what it would take to survive this mission, it didn't show an image of you, Duo. And it didn't show me a mobile suit, either. It showed me Hilde. That's why we have to find her. Because until we do, I won't know what our real handicaps are. Without that, we're not going to make it.' _Heero's fleeting thoughts suddenly came to a stop. He blankly stared into the cosmos for a split second, emptying his mind of the war, the bloodshed he had caused, and the continuous risks he had taken in his life. He packed a gun into his pocket, focused on the ship's course and the upcoming danger, and paid no attention to Duo's

unrest:

_'Heero, you did it! It's all over now. And now that we destroyed the Gundams, we won't be targets anymore!'_

_ 'That's unlikely. We'll remain to be targets as long as people have arms. But we'll be able to protect ourselves, that should be good enough. I doubt we'll be fighting much more, at any rate.'_

_ 'Yeah, I suppose you're right. But at least it's safe for us to be around the people we care about, right?'_

_ 'If you're talking about Hilde, I'm sure that you'll be able to live with her without putting her in too much danger. I would still be careful if I were you, though; I, for one, know that I'm still a danger. I'll stay away from anyone I want to keep alive. Even if we're not soldiers anymore, and even if we're ready to live as civilians, it's up to the world to accept us again. That's the risk we've taken in remaining inconspicuous, even if it was necessary for our survival.'_

_ Duo reached out to him, but his hand went right through. 'What the hell? Heero, where are you?'_

_ 'I won't risk it.' _

_ Suddenly, Duo was no longer walking on the ground, clouds lay below him. 'Risk what? You're obviously not talking about me, I can put up a fight!'_

_ 'I know. That's why I need to do this. So you won't hurt her.'_

_ 'What? Where are you?' Free falling brought no fear, only confusion. Any attempt to track Heero's voice was in vain, until he discovered another form._

_ 'I've left the conscious world, Duo. If you want her safe, you'd better come too.' _

_ 'What? No!'_

_ 'Very well.'_

_ The ground became visible at a distance, and he was still falling. Duo closed his eyes calmly, understanding Heero's message, and did not interfere._

Duo woke up in a start after the dream finished, but chose to keep his eyes closed. He was sure that Heero would notice that he woke, but hoped that Heero would see this act for what it was, a desire not to talk. Heero would do just that, until he prepared the ship for landing. "Duo, we've arrived. Wake up."

Following Heero's aching lead, Duo slowly got up, stretched out, and put one foot forward. When taking his first step on Mars, he immediately noticed the reduced gravity. _'Wow, I can't believe how light I feel here. After all of that time spent in a mobile suit, this is kind of nice.'_

The scenery was captivating, with all of the natural beauty of the earth, without any of the roads, buildings or traffic noise. Plant and animal life were already adapting to life, as he tracked a pair of rabbits crawling into a hole under a tree. The nature had a cleansing effect on his soul, similar to the stars on Heero. He knelt over to examine a bed of tiger lilies when Heero joined him.

"I was impressed when I first came, too. They've made a lot of progress in six years. They've already finished construction in some areas."

"So you've already been here?"

"When I received the briefing for the mission, that's the only time. This park is particularly close to where our contact point is, so it might give you a distorted view of the entire project."

"Our contact point?" Duo sighed. "Right, we have a secret mission, almost forgot. By the way, when were you going to tell me about that?"

Heero was absentmindedly feeling through a patch of grass. "There'd be no point in telling you now."

"Why not?"

"Because we're already here." A door opened in the field, leading to an underground room. "You first."

Duo jumped in, and Heero quickly followed. They were quickly greeted in the dark room by a strong presence.

"Heero, how very nice to see you. I see you brought a friend, too."

Heero calmly stepped forward, gaze narrowing. He deftly pulled the gun out of his pocket, let go, and watched it crashed to the floor. "I guess it's a good thing I didn't kill you, Zechs."

Duo stared in disbelief. "We're working for _him_? You're kidding, right? I mean, this guy..."

"Tried to kill us all, got that." The statement wasn't particularly sympathetic, but was rather made out of annoyance. "I'm not even going to lie to you and say that he's not a threat anymore. What I will say is that we need him and he needs us. So don't do anything funny."

Duo was desperate to protest, but fell silent. "Duo, I realize that you have your reasons to be suspicious of this mission. To be clear, we are not allies. Rather, we are working toward a common goal. I hope this does not make you uncomfortable." Zechs stood from his makeshift throne and held out his hand.

"Oh no, I'm not shaking anyone's hand until I know what's going on here. I may have come for free, but I only work for a price."

Zechs remianed calm and retracted his offer. "Very well, I wasn't aware that you weren't informed. Duo, Noin and I have been running the terraformation here over the last six years. We've progressed quite a bit, as you can see. However, we've had some recent problems that we are unable to deal with on our own. Over the last several weeks, workers have been disappearing. In all, over 500 people are currently missing. If that isn't enough, none of their bodies have been found, and the only private plane entering or leaving over this time period has been your own ship. We need assistance to find the cause of this, but we also realize that, if this became public, that we would not receive any more funding. You Gundam pilots are inconspicuous and thorough, so it only seemed natural to come to you first."

Duo slowly took it all in. Eyes widened, heart racing, he trembled uncontrollably. His vision began to swirl rapidly, the world becoming a place of undefined blotted colors. As he attempted to take a step back, he felt gravity pulling him down with an unfounded strength. His body was falling, with nowhere to land. _'What's wrong with me? Why is this happening?'_ In desperation, he reached out with his arm, and felt something. He gripped it tightly, as if life itself was slipping away.

"Duo, Duo...pull it together." The voice came from Heero, pulling Duo up by his outstretched arm. Zechs calmly took a step back and decided to leave the two to themselves. Although Duo still felt nauseous, there was finally definition in the environment. "You didn't want to have to do anything like this again. I was the same. You're not falling and my voice still has a body."

Duo slowly let go of Heero's arm and remained standing. "That happened to you too?"

"Yeah." Heero took a minute to evaluate his companion. "You're ready to go. Come on, we're going to see Noin. We'll come up with a plan, and hopefully we'll be out of here. Got that?"

"Alright, I'm following you, Heero."


End file.
